U.s. Can Nourish Seeds Of Democracy In Pakistan

July 24, 1986|By C. Naseer Ahmad

Pakistan Prime Minister Mohammed Khan Junejo was in Washington last week, trying to boost his standing as leader of his government. Junejo is managing Pakistan's evolution from martial law to parliamentary rule.

He faces opposition from Benazir Bhutto, daughter of the late Prime Minister Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto, who returned from exile in April to a tumultuous welcome.

In a country such as Pakistan, where ballot counting is still an imperfect exercise, the size of popular street processions is the next best measure of political clout.

Bhutto has shown signs of having some clout and is using it to oppose the regime of President Mohammed Zia Ul-Haq, who hanged her father after a 1977 coup. Zia ruled under martial law until last December, when he allowed parliamentary elections but excluded the participation of political parties.

Bhutto is trying to revitalize her People's Party, and has called for truly democratic elections to replace the Parliament.

Since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States has cozied up with Zia's regime. It found a useful ally, one willing to support U.S. goals in fighting Soviet control of Afghanistan.

As Washington looked the other way, Zia was busy in extending his rule and making his domestic opposition largely irrelevant. With dexterous manipulation of military and religious leaders, he kept his opponents at bay and proved his critics wrong many times.

The United States had quietly urged him to relax his grip on power, and he agreed to hold the parliamentary elections.

The throngs of Pakistanis who greeted Bhutto when she returned may signal the beginning of the end for Zia -- and quite possibly problems for the United States.

The United States should keep in mind that political life of Pakistani leaders is frequently short. Zia should be no exception. Until now, Bhutto's faction-riddled People's Party has thrived basically on the magic of her late father's name and her own charisma. She now is working to garner grass-root support for the party, and should find strong support among younger Pakistanis, who are restless because of the country's lack of economic opportunities.

The Reagan administration has requested that Pakistan, the fourth-largest recipient of U.S. aid, receive a new six-year $4.2 billion aid package when the current $3.2 billion program ends in 1987.

But the United States should be wary of increasing its aid, for doing so might alienate many Pakistanis drawn to support Bhutto.

If the United States is viewed as less than helpful to Bhutto's populism, then its image will be sealed not as a promoter of freedom and democracy but as the guarantor of the rule of the military and privileged elite.

That would doom any prospects of a constructive U.S. influence in southwest Asia.